Just from a spectator point of view, this was my first time watching all these free dance programs. Just my initial reactions:

Pechalat/Bourzat. As in the SD, they seemed well trained and sharp. I think this program really works for them. I was a little dubious at first--I'm not a big Stones fan--but it really suits P/B. There is a cool funky vibe to it that they carry off very well. It's funny--there is something inherently sexy about P/B as a team--without them having to work for this quality at all or "sell it" the way other teams do. They just naturally have it, and it's an asset in this program. I can't quite imagine any other team skating to the program (always a good sign that it's working). Technically it seemed more difficult than either B/S or W/P and better skated, except for the twizzles (although Doris I see what you mean about it being "open" whereas D/W's FD in particular had a "closed" feel to it with a lot of waltz holds). My feeling is this FD will not be enough to overtake V/M or D/W, but we'll see I guess.

Bobrova/Soloviev. Surprisingly, I really liked this FD! I've never enjoyed any of B/S's programs before, so that is saying something. It's just sort of interesting and intense, especially the first two-thirds of it. The last section, which I think is to Tosca, felt a lot more typical and less intriguing. I thought they skated it quite well and I could see the improvement everyone's talking about in this FD as opposed to their SD. I still did notice some posture problems and bent-at-the-waist skating (this time more from Oleg than Ekaterina), and I still want Ekaterina's shoulders to be less rounded. However nonetheless I did enjoy this program and thought they deserved silver.

Weaver/Poje. This program is very attractive, and yet somehow it didn't quite work for me. It felt like something was missing. The statue-coming-to-life theme isn't very original or well-sustained throughout the program. Kaitlyn and Andrew delivered it fairly well but I felt a little intensity missing. I also felt like they were skating a little "up," not down in their knees and really carving into the ice. I've had that impression before with W/P and it may simply be due to their height and long lines. The program just feels a bit lackluster after the passionate emotion of "Je Suis Malade."

Chock/Bates. Well I must disagree with some others about this program. I thought it was pretty, but that was all. I just didn't enjoy it as much as others have. Honestly I feel Dr. Zhivago is very hard music to skate to. The romance in the film is truly epic in quality and very few skaters can really carry this off. Chock/Bates didn't do it for me. Also, the program seemed a little bit easy in terms of the footwork--I felt like there was a lot of side-by-side skating, a lot of crossovers. But this is just a spectator's initial impression, and I may be wrong about it.

Well Zhulin did say that his goal for BS is really 2018 - I think that that's good because it means that he won't take any short cuts with them that may lead to better results at first but ultimately limit their potential (kind of like Kustarova's method of gaining speed by telling Ekaterina to bend her back more)

Does anyone really believe his goal for B&S is 2018??? He is clearly aiming for a medal in Sochi. I´m just not sure what colour he has in mind.

Does anyone really believe his goal for B&S is 2018??? He is clearly aiming for a medal in Sochi. I´m just not sure what colour he has in mind.

Well I'm not saying that he isn't trying to get them a bronze in Sochi because that is one of their goals. However, I don't think he's delusional enough to expect them to be olympic gold medal contenders until 2018.

Well I'm not saying that he isn't trying to get them a bronze in Sochi because that is one of their goals. However, I don't think he's delusional enough to expect them to be olympic gold medal contenders until 2018.

I´d never say gold out loud but I wouldn´t be shocked to see at least one team squeeze in between the two teams everyone thinks has a lock on gold and silver. By saying 2018 is the goal makes a bronze or silver as good as gold.

I´d never say gold out loud but I wouldn´t be shocked to see at least one team squeeze in between the two teams everyone thinks has a lock on gold and silver. By saying 2018 is the goal makes a bronze or silver as good as gold.

I wouldn't be shocked either, but I don't think that it will be Bobrova and Soloviev (I feel like the team that would do it if there was one would be Pechalat and Bourzat). I feel like there is too much ground for them to make up in basically a season and a half. Although I gotta say that I'm a big fan of them and wouldn't mind seeing them and Virtue and Moir going 2 and 1 in Sochi.

Did Kustarova really tell her to do that!?! She should be deprived of her coaching credentials for a year . . .

She does indeed tell her skaters to lean forward to gain speed and 'get into the ice', and doesn't say anything when their butt is sticking out as a consequence.
(from a reliable source, as Kustarova did a stage with French junior skaters a year or so ago)

Actually, I think B/S's new FD has a good deal of potential. It's certainly a massive improvement over the Bent Crone Dance of last season. The main problem I have with it is that it doesn't really resolve itself as well as I think it can. The entire Tosca section takes the intense sturm & drang of the first 2/3rds and pushes it into melodrama. That final pose in particular is just bordering on 20s silent film "emoting." Why not end with a reversal of the starting position, which would signify the change in the couple without teetering over into melodrama? Still, it is a massive improvement over last season, and should make for an interesting second half of the season.

Thanks so much for taking the time to provide information on the levels and rationale behind the marks. What you say makes sense and I appreciate the fact that you make it easy to understand. I am very excited to be going to Worlds in March and would like to soak up as much knowledge as possible. I find this forum so informative...thanks everyone!